NL Bloodied Gauntlet: What is “Compulsory?”

[Indefragable]

In the new Night Lords’ RoW, The Bloodied Gauntlet, it states that Compulsory units get Zeaot.

 

What units are Compulsory?

 

A Crusade FOC requires you to take 1x HQ and 2x Troops units. Most RoW’s use that formula, with laid-out qualifications/additions.

 

Does this mean that only 1x HQ and 2x Troops units get the Zealot rule? My brain wants to say that all non-Support Troop units (Tactical, Assault, Breacher) would get Zealot, but “Compulsory” is only 2 of them, right?

 

(This RoW also makes 2x non-Terminator Elites choices Compulsory as well, so clearly they qualify).

 

A friend and I trying to figure out how many units and how many HQ choices get Zealot.

[Dagoth Ur]

The way I and my group understand it is that whatever is defined as compulsory by your FoC as well as the 2x additional non-TDA elite choices are regarded as compulsory by The Bloodied Gauntlet and thus granted Zealot.

 

Let's say you took the Onslaught FoC, which mandates 1 compulsory HQ, Troops and HS choice each. This would mean that your army has to consist of at least 1 HQ, 1 Troop, 1 HS and 2x Non-TDA Elites choices in order to run The Bloodied Gauntlet and it is these designated choices that would gain Zealot.

 

For your example, say you construct a Crusade FoC army with the Bloodied gauntlet, then zealot will be granted to 1 HQ, 2 Troops and 2 Non-TDA Elites choices - since those are the compulsory units that need to be present in your army. So if you were to run 4 assault squads in this army, you'd still only be able to confer Zealot to 2 of them as the rule is only bestowed upon the compulsory choices in your army. You can't have more compulsory choices than outlined by your FoC - unless a RoW specifically manipulates that number (Terror Assault for ex. forces you to take one additional compulsory troops choice in addition to all other compulsory troop choices that you are taking.).

 

What is a Compulsory Choice? Any choice within one tactical role (HQ, Elite, Troops etc.) that does not have the Support Officer/Support Unit rule or any other rule specifically prohibiting it, can serve as a compulsory choice. So for troops that's Tactical Marines, Breachers and Assault Marines.

Edited September 20, 2020 by The Observer

[SkimaskMohawk]

If you go to the various FOC charts in LA:ADL, whatever is listed as compulsory is what you must include in lists, as Observer correctly assumed. Various Rites will modify what is and isn't compulsory.

[Indefragable]

Right. I think where things get tricky outside of Bloodied Gauntlet is when you can take x unit as Troops. I.e. Horus making Justarean Troops. This means if Horus is in your army, you can take 2x Justarean as Troops and you’re good; you don’t have to take a single Tac/ASM/Breacher unless a RoW specifically calls for it.

[Dagoth Ur]

Right. I think where things get tricky outside of Bloodied Gauntlet is when you can take x unit as Troops. I.e. Horus making Justarean Troops. This means if Horus is in your army, you can take 2x Justarean as Troops and you’re good; you don’t have to take a single Tac/ASM/Breacher unless a RoW specifically calls for it.

Jup, that's basically how it works. In this case, you could use Justaerin as compulsory troops - if a unit is shifted into the troops section via any rule (Say, Maloghurst, Horus, Rites of War etc) then it can be used as a Compulsory Choice, unless the rule allowing you to pick them as troops specifies otherwise. Example: The Brethren of Iron Rite of War allows me to take Castellax Battle Automata as troops but it specifically says that they are to be considered as non-compulsory selections - i.e. I cannot use them to fill up the requirements of a Crusade Force Org. Chart. Pride of the Legion, on the other hand, specifically allows me to take Legion Veterans and Terminators as compulsory troop choices. It's all in the wording.

[Indefragable]

 

 

Right. I think where things get tricky outside of Bloodied Gauntlet is when you can take x unit as Troops. I.e. Horus making Justarean Troops. This means if Horus is in your army, you can take 2x Justarean as Troops and you’re good; you don’t have to take a single Tac/ASM/Breacher unless a RoW specifically calls for it.

Jup, that's basically how it works. In this case, you could use Justaerin as compulsory troops - if a unit is shifted into the troops section via any rule (Say, Maloghurst, Horus, Rites of War etc) then it can be used as a Compulsory Choice, unless the rule allowing you to pick them as troops specifies otherwise. Example: The Brethren of Iron Rite of War allows me to take Castellax Battle Automata as troops but it specifically says that they are to be considered as non-compulsory selections - i.e. I cannot use them to fill up the requirements of a Crusade Force Org. Chart. Pride of the Legion, on the other hand, specifically allows me to take Legion Veterans and Terminators as compulsory troop choices. It's all in the wording.

Right. And anything in the Troops slot for any reason (that’s where they live or they are allowed there did to RoW/Character/et al) automatically count as Scoring and Compulsory unless stated otherwise, like the Support Squad wording for Tac Support, Recon Squads, etc...